Lamp socket and printed circuit



. Dec. 1, 1970 L. A. LOPEZ ET AL 3,544,950

LAMP SOCKET AND PRINTED CIRCUIT Filed Nov. 1, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.5

T- ZAWRE/VCE 11 P34 22 DOA/A10 MALK/EW/CZ IL BY 65 ATTORNEYS Dec. 1, 1970 L. A. LOPEZ ET AL 3,544,950

LAMP SOCKET AND PRINTED CIRCUIT Filed Nov. 1, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'IG.8

DOA/A10 ffMAl/f/[W/CZ A TTOR EYS United States Patent US. Cl. 339-17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a lamp socket and printed circuit adapted particularly for use with wedge base lamps or bulbs in which a socket body is provided constructed of insulating material and having a cavity positioned therein extending in a direction substantially transverse to a generally flat wall portion of the socket body. A printed circuit having a substrate of insulating material, preferably a flexible material, has a plurality of flexible conductors positioned thereon, and the substrate has an opening positioned therein with the printed circuit including a pair of conductors each extending into the opening and into the cavity in the socket body. The socket body includes means positioned in the cavity and cooperating with a pair of transverse notches positioned in the glass base of a wedge type bulb or lamp for positioning one of these conductors in engagement with a lead from the bulb that is positioned in one notch and for positioning the other of the conductors in engagement with the other of the leads from the bulb that is positioned in the other notch in the base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a lamp socket and printed circuit combination which is adapted to hold a wedge base lamp bulb and to connect it to certain leads on a printed circuit. The lamp socket includes means for holding the printed circuit and the bulb in assembled relationship with the socket.

With the advent of so-called wedge base lamp bulbs in which the metal base portion of conventional lamp bulbs has been eliminated and leads from the filaments extend through the glass base of the bulb, there have been a number of proposed lamp sockets and terminal means for connecting these lamps to external circuits and holding the lamps in position in a lamp socket. One such lamp socket is shown in US. Patent 3,017,599. [In that patent there is shown a lamp socket constructed of insulating material and having metallic terminal means positioned therein which engage leads from a wedge type lamp bulb when the lamp bulb is inserted in the socket. The terminals extend beyond the lamp socket for engagement with a printed circuit or other external circuit connecting means.

In the present invention the terminals in the lamp socket of prior art mechanisms, for example, the prior art typified by the above mentioned patent, are eliminated. This is accomplished by use of a lamp socket in which a cavity is provided for the reception of a wedge type lamp bulb having exposed lead wires from the filaments of a lamp bulb. A printed circuit having a substrate is laid over the lamp socket and it has an opening or aperture positioned therein and over a cavity in the socket. Printed circuit conductors or leads extend from these openings into the cavity and are positioned against the exposed leads of the lamp as the lamp is inserted in the lamp socket.

As a result a very uncomplicated, inexpensive and substantially trouble-free assembly is provided including a m 3,544,950 Ice Patented Dec. 1, 197

lamp socket, a printed circuit and a lamp bulb in which the lamp bulb is connected to the printed circuit and is held within the socket. As pointed out above, the socket in combination with the lamp bulb may trap the conductors of the printed circuit and, therefore, hold the printed circuit in engagement with the socket.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a combination of a lamp socket, a printed circuit and a wedge type lamp bulb in which leads from the filament of the bulb are positioned externally of the glass envelope of the bulb. The lamp socket is constructed of an insulating material and it has a generally flat surface or wall for receiving the printed circuit so that the printed circuit is positioned on this flat wall. The lamp socket has a cavity extending substantially transversely with respect to this flat surface or wall, and the printed circuit has a substrate with an opening positioned over this cavity. Locating means may be provided on the flat surface or wall for locating the openings in the substrate of the printed circuit over this cavity. A pair of printed circuit conductive leads extend from this opening and into the cavity. The locating means may also engage these leads to locate them properly within the cavity.

The lamp socket body includes means for positioning the conductors of the printed circuit that extend into the cavity in engagement with the leads or terminals of the lamp bulb. When the lamp bulb is positioned within the cavity, this means may also include means for holding the lamp bulb in the socket and the substrate of the printed circuit in engagement with the generally flat surface or wall portion of the socket body.

The above described means may include a pair of sidewalls extending in opposed relationship between the generally flat wall portion or surface of the socket body and another Wall portion spaced from said generally flat wall portion. One of these opposed walls may be flexibly formed at one end to the second mentioned wall portion for movement in a direction toward and away from the other opposed wall. Each of the opposed walls has inwardly extending protuberances that are adapted to position the conductors of the printed circuit against and in electrical contact with leads that extend from a Wedge type electric lamp or bulb. The bulb or lamp is comprised of a glass envelope which has a glass base with transverse notches therein. These transverse notches have the leads that extend from the bottom of the base and positioned over them so that as the bulb is snapped into the socket the protuberances force the conductors of the printed circuit into engagement with the leads from the bulb. The bulb may also have a generally cylindrical central section formed in its base to be received within a generally cylindrical opening formed by notches or openings in the two protuberances or protrusions that extend inwardly from the opposed walls.

As the bulb is inserted in the socket, the leads scrub against the conductors of the printed circuits thereby assuring good electrical contact. In addition the bulbs may be readily removed when a failure occurs and another operative bulb may be readily inserted in its place. The scrubbing action again takes place to insure proper electrical contact.

The above described structure may find utility in an instrument panel for a motor vehicle in which the printed circuit is mounted on the inside surface of the instrument panel backwall or plate and hence the bulbs may be serviced by merely removing a front plate of the instrument panel. It is obvious, however, that this structure may find use wherever printed circuits and electric lamp bulbs are employed as an assembly.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an uncomplicated, inexpensive lamp socket and printed circuit combination for use with wedge type electric lamps or bulbs.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention may be more readily realized as the specification is considered in connection with the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a printed circuit including a substrate with conductive leads positioned on the substrate.

FIG. 2 shows the printed circuit of FIG. 1 with openings or apertures positioned in the substrate thereof.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the lamp socket body arrangement of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the printed circuit of the present invention with the conductors bent and received in a lamp socket body of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a lamp of the wedge type which is employed in the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view partially in elevation taken along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the present invention showing the printed circuit, lamp and lamp socket body.

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the lamp socket body arrangement shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of one lamp socket body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views thereof, there is shown in FIG. 1 a printed circuit board 10 having a substrate 11 constructed of insulating material,,preferably thin flexible insulating material, for example, Mylar. A printed circuit generally designated by the numeral 12 is positioned on the substrate 11 by any suitable adhesive. This printed circuit 12 which is shown as an example only includes a ground conductor or lead 14 having a plurality of transverse conductors 16, 17, 18 and 19 formed integrally therewith. Other leads desig nated by the numerals 20, 21, 22 and 23 are positioned on the substrate 11 and the lead has a transversely extending conductor 24 positioned in spaced relationship with respect to the conductor 17 of lead 14. Lead 21 has a transversely formed conductor 25 positioned in spaced relationship with transverse conductor 19, lead 23 has a transversely formed conductor 26 positioned in spaced relationship with transverse conductor 16 and lead 22 has a transversely formed conductor 27 positioned in spaced relationship with respect to transverse conductor 18.

After the printed circuit described in FIG. 1 is formed, a plurality of openings or apertures 30, 31, 32 and 33 may be positioned in the substrate 11 by means of a cutting dye. This leaves conductors 24 and 17 extending into the opening or aperture 31, conductors 16 and 26 extending into opening or aperture 30, conductors 25 and 19 extending into the opening or aperture 33 and conductors 18 and 27 extending into opening or aperture 32.

The lamp socket arrangement is shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The lamp socket arrangement shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 7 and 8 actually shows four integrally joined lamp socket bodies or lamp sockets for the reception of four diflerent lamps or bulbs. It is obvious that the invention may be employed with four lamps or with one or any other number of lamps. The invention, however, is described in relationship with a structure employing four lamp socket bodies and four lamps together with the printed circuit means for connecting these four lamps to external circuitry.

Each lamp socket body 40 comprises a generally flat wall or surface 41 having a cavity 43 positioned therein and extending substantially transversely to the plane of the flat wall or surface 41. This cavity is formed by a pair of opposed sidewalls 44 and 45, each of which have opposed and inwardly extending protuberances or protrusions 46 and 47, respectively, formed integrally therewith. The opposed sidewall 44 may be substantially rigid while the opposed sidewall 45 is formed flexibly at 48 to a second wall portion 51 which is spaced from the flat wall portion 41 in the direction of the cavity 43. This forms a hinge-like structure at 48 which will permit the protuberance or protrusion 47 to flex toward and away from the protuberance or protrusion 46 positioned on wall 44 when force is applied to it as the bulb of the invention is inserted in the socket.

The bulb of the invention is best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and it is of the so-called nonmetallic base or wedge type construction in which the bulb is comprised of a single enclosed glass envelope 61 having an incandescent filament 62 positioned therein. The leads 63 and 64 for the filament are brought out through the base 65 of the bulb which is formed integrally with the envelope 61 and these leads are turned into a U-shaped pattern as shown at 65 and 66.

The base 65 of the bulb comprises a central, generally cylindrical portion 67 with a pair of outwardly extending flanges or webs 68 and 69. Each of the webs 68 and 69 has transversely extending indentations or notches 71 and 72 located on either side thereof as can best be seen by reference to FIG. 6.

Each of the lamp socket bodies 40 includes a plurality of locating means for locating the openings or apertures 30, 31, 32 and 33 in the substrate 11 over their respective openings or cavities, for example, aperture 30 over the cavity or opening 43 formed in the body. These locating means comprise a pair of raised protuberances 74 and 75 formed on the flat wall or surface portion 41 and a raised portion 76 formed on the top of the walls 45 as can best be seen by reference to FIGS. 4 and 7. These locating means not only locate the openings or apertures, for example, opening or aperture 30 over the cavity or opening 43, but also locate and provide guiding means for the conductors, for example, conductors 16 and 26 that extend into the cavity 43. These locating or guiding means properly position the conductors with respect to the protuberances 46 and 47 and with respect to the notches 71 and 72 and U-shaped portions 65 and 66 of leads 63 and 64.

The protuberances 46 and 47 each contain semicylindrical slots 78 and 80 for the reception of the generally cylindrical portion 67 of base 65 of the lamp bulb 60.

As can best be seen by reference to FIGS. '6 and 9, the wall 45 is attached to the socket body only along the intersection of the wall 45 and the bottom wall portion 51 while the wall 44 extends across the Whole of the socket body and is rigidly fixed thereto.

In assembly the printed circuit 10 shown in FIG. 2 is positioned over the lamp socket body as shown in the perspective views of FIGS. 4 and 7 so that the locating means 75, 74 and 76 properly engage the conductors, for example, conductors 16 and 26 and a sidewall or edge of the aperture 30 to properly locate the aperture 30 and the conductors 16 and 26 with respect to the components of the socket body. This is also true of the remainder of the transversely extending conductors, i.e., conductors 25 and 19 together with its aperture 33, conductors 18 and 27 together with aperture 32 and conductors 24 and 17 together with aperture 31.

The spacing between the apexes of the protuberances or protrusions 46 and 47 may be substantially equal to the width of the base 65 through the notches 71 and 72 in the web areas 68 and 69 prior to the insertion of the base 65' of bulb 60 into the cavity 43. The bulb 60 is then inserted into the cavity 43 so that the U-shaped ends 65 and 66 of leads 63 and 64 scrape over the conductors, for example, conductors 16 and 26. As the bulb is inserted the large end of the base portion below the notches engages protuberances 46 and 47 and acts to move the end of the wall 45 where protuberance 47 is located to the right as shown in FIG. 6. As the bulb is further inserted, the notched areas 71 and 72 of the webs 68 and 69 come into alignment with the protuberances 46- and 47 and the end of the wall 45 which carries protuberance 47 will move to the left and into the position shown in FIG. 6 so that conductor 16 is trapped between the protuberance 46 and the U-shaped lead 65 and the conductor 26 is trapped between the protuberance 47 and the U-shaped lead 66. While this is occurring a scraping action takes place between the U-shaped lead portions 65 and 66 and the conductors 16 and 26, respectively, thereby assuring good electrical contact between these leads and the printed circuit conductors 16 and 26.

It can readily be appreciated that the bulb 60 can read ily be removed by an axial pulling force if it needs to be replaced and another bulb may be inserted as described above.

The present invention thus provides an uncomplicated, inexpensive and reliable printed circuit, bulb and socket assembly for connecting a bulb to an external circuit and for holding the bulb in rigid position. As stated above the arangement may be especially useful in an instrument panel in an automotive vehicle in which the printed circuit is mounted on the front of a back plate of the instrument panel, and the bulbs may be replaced or serviced from the front of the panel by merely removing the front face or plate of the panel.

The invention disclosed will have many modifications which will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings of this specification. It is intended that all modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention be included within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a socket and printed circuit means the combination comprising a socket constructed of insulating material and having a cavity therein for the reception of a lamp, a printed circuit means having a substantially flexible insulating substrate, a printed circuit constructed of a conductive material positioned on said substrate, said flexible insulating substrate having an opening therein positioned over the cavity in said socket, a pair of spaced apart printed circuit conductors extending into said opening in said flexible printed circuit material and into said cavity in said lamp socket, a lamp having a base with a pair of spaced exposed conductive terminals, said lamp being press fitted into said socket and said pair of spaced printed circuit conductors contacting said speed exposed conductive terminals of said lamp base.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said base of said lamp has a central portion and said cavity has a central complementary shaped opening receiving said central portion of said base.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which said base has a pair of opposed webs extending laterally from said central portion, said terminals comprising leads extending from said base and positioned in engagement with said Webs, said lamp socket having inwardly extending protrusions in said cavity, said webs on said lamp base and said protrusions on said lamp socket cooperating with said printed circuit conductors to clamp said printed circuit conductors in engagement with said leads.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which each of said opposed webs has a transversely extending indentation spaced from the end of said webs and said inwardly extending protrusions of said lamp sockets forcing said printed circuit conductors into said transversely extending indentations.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which said socket comprises a base, a pair of opposed sidewalls, one of said inwardly extending protrusions being positioned on one of said opposed sidewalls and the other of said inwardly extending protrusions being positioned on the other of said sidewalls, and means coupling one of said sidewalls to said base of said socket for urging said one of said sidewalls toward the other sidewall and for permitting movement of the inwardly extending protrusions positioned thereon away from said other protrusions as said lamp is forced into said cavity.

6. The combination of claim 5 in which said soc ket has a generally flat wall portion extending in a plane generally perpendicular to said cavity in said socket, locating means extending from said generally flat wall portion and engaging a sidewall of said opening in said flexible insulating substrate for locating said printed circuit conductors in said cavity in said socket in a position to permit engagement of said conductors by said pair of spaced exposed conductive terminals on said base of said lamp.

7. The combination of claim 1 in which said base has a pair of opposed webs extending laterally from said central portion, said terminals comprising leads extending from said base and positioned in engagement with said webs, said lamp socket having inwardly extending protrusions in said cavity, said webs on said lamp base and said protrusions on said lamp socket cooperating with said printed circuit conductors to clamp said printed circuit conductors in engagement with said leads.

8. The combination of claim 1 in which said socket comprises a base, a pair of opposed sidewalls forming said cavity, an inwardly extending protrusion on each of said sidewalls, one of said inwardly extending protrusions being positioned on one of said opposed sidewalls and the other of said inwardly extending protrusions being positioned on the other of said sidewalls, and means coupling one of said sidewalls to said base for urging said one of said sidewalls toward the other sidewall and for permitting movement of the inwardly extending protrusions positioned thereon away from said other protrusions as said lamp is forced into said cavity.

9. The combination of claim 1 in which said socket has a generally flat wall portion extending in a plane generally perpendicular to said cavity in said socket, locating means extending from said generally flat wall portion and engaging a sidewall of said opening in said flexible insulating substrate for locating said printed circuit conductors in said cavity in said socket in a position to permit engagement of said conductors by said pair of spaced exposed conductive terminals on said base of said lamp.

10. In a lamp socket and printed circuit means the combination comprising a socket body having a generally flat wall portion, a printed circuit having a substrate of insulating material and flexible conductors positioned thereon, said substrate being positioned on said generally flat wall portion, said lamp body having a cavity extending substantially transversely to said generally flat wall portion, a lamp bulb including a glass base with a pair of transverse notches positioned therein, leads extending from said glass base and positioned in said notches, said substrate having an opening therein positioned over the cavity in said lamp body, said printed circuit including a pair of conductors extending from said opening and into said cavity, said socket body including means positioned in said cavity and cooperating with said pair of transverse notches positioned in said glass base for positioning one of said conductors in engagement with one of said leads and the other of said conductors in engagement with the other of said leads when said lamp bulb is inserted into said cavity.

11. The combination of claim 10 in which said means includes means for holding said lamp bulb in said cavity and said substrate of said printed circuit in engagement with said generally flat wall portion of said socket body.

12. The combination of claim .11 in which said socket body comprises a second wall portion spaced from said generally flat wall portion at the other end of said cavity, said cavity being formed by opposed walls extending generally perpendicularly to said wall portions, one of said opposed walls being flexibly fastened at one end to said second wall portion for movement toward and away from the other of said opposed walls, said means for positioning one of said conductors in engagement with one of said leads and the other of said conductors in engagement with the other of said leads including said one of said opposed walls and inwardly extending protuberances on each of said opposed walls engaging said conductors and forcing said conductors into engagement with said leads in said notches.

13. The combination of claim 10 in which said socket body comprises a second Wall portion spaced from said generally flat wall portion at the other end of said cavity, said cavity being formed by opposed walls extending generally perpendicularly to said wall portions, one of said opposed walls being flexibly fastened at one end to said second wall portion for movement toward and away from the other of said opposed walls, said means for positiom'ng one of said conductors in engagement with one of said leads and the other of said conductors in engagement with the other of said leads including said one of said opposed walls and inwardly extending protuberances on each of said opposed walls engaging said conductors and forcing said conductors into engagement with said leads in said notches.

14. The combination of claim 10 in which said generally flat wall portion has outwardly extending locating means positioned thereon and engaging an edge of said substrate in said opening therein and the edges of said conductors for locating said opening over said cavity and said conductors in said cavity.

15. The combination of claim 14 in which the conductors engage and are bent over the inner edges of said opposed Walls into said cavity.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,953,769 9/1960 Woofter et al. 339-17(D-)X 3,339,172 8/1967 Heath 339127X 3,480,836 11/1969 Aronstein 317l01(CP)X 3,366,914 l/1968 McManus et al. 339-17(C) MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner T. P. LEWIS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

